Title: Cognitive benefits of the ketogenic diet in patients with epilepsy: a systematic overview
| Authors: | Annemiek A. van Berkel, Dominique M. IJff and J. Martin Verkuyl |
| Published: | 2018 |
| Journal: | Epilepsy Behavior |
In their systematic overview of the clinical literature, the authors conclude that epilepsy patients on the ketogenic diet experience improvements in alertness, attention and global cognition. The patients with different epilepsy subtypes noticed these cognitive improvements. Studies that used cognitive tests confirmed these benefits of diet on alertness, but tests for IQ do not show improvements. The observed improvements are seen with both a classic ketogenic diet, as well as with the Modified Atkins Diet (MAD). The effects are noted across different age categories and in patients who reduced their medicine intake, as well as those who remained on anti-epileptic drugs during the dietary intervention.
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Van Berkel, A.A., IJff, D.M., Verkuyl, J.M. Cognitive benefits of the ketogenic diet in patients with epilepsy: a systematic overview. Epilepsy Behav. 2018 Aug 30;87:69-77. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2018.06.004.